A voice calls out to me from the deep
Arise from your slumber
Shake the ashes of forgetfulness off your heart
Pick up that pen that has long lain forgotten
Block out the noises all around you
Shut out the demands of society
And let your pen run wild
Let your thoughts be freed from the shackles of focused responsibilities
Be the true version of yourself
Share your passion once again with the world
Like a Phoenix
Arise once again and run free
Sometimes I wonder
What it takes for disaster to occur
Could it be the negligence of common folk
Who turn a blind eye to the obvious
Or perhaps the arrogance of the more privileged
Who assume it will be sorted out
Or yet still the demeanor of the learned
Who scoff at the ignorance of the illiterate
At what point do we realize
Our inactions and actions alike
Serve as the missing ingredients
In the perfectly sordid
Recipe for Disaster
I saw the huge mountains
I thought they were nice
I took a step towards them
Then stepped right back afraid
I saw the high canopy trail
I smiled at the beautiful sight
I longed to climb the trail
Then sighed, "it was too high"
I saw the beautiful roller coaster
I marveled at the sight
I wondered how it felt
To be up high on it
I forced myself up to the door
Shaking and doused in fear
Then took a step right up
The platform seat awaits
Shrieking in fear at the sight
I swore I was to die
I screamed and yelled aloud
Then closed my eyes at the sight
I opened it once more and realized we had stopped
Then out I stepped from the seat
Completely unafraid
Sweat beads glisten on my forehead as I lay awake
I stare at the ceiling unable to rise from my bed
The fear still clings to my heart
My heart throbs wildly
As though a loud pounding drum
That dream….that ever horrid dream
The dream that plagues me every night
That leaves me white as a sheet
Shaking as though doused with cold water
I take a breath…then another…
Just to be certain that I am awake
I roll out of bed
Why you ask
That seems to be the only way I can get out of bed
I rush to the hall to find it empty
Smoke…thick black smoke can be seen through the windows
The community is on fire
The playground where I spent my childhood is gone
Mama Nancy's plantain roasting joint is in shambles
No house has been left untouched
Looting is ongoing in all the shops
Wailing can be heard as people mourn their loved ones
Loved ones killed in senseless clashes
The rich, the poor, the young, the old…
Politicians, citizens alike…
No one is left unscathed after that senseless fight for power
I walk along the streets in a daze
Glass shards pricking my feet
I seem not to care, even as the blood leaves a trail as I walk on
All around me, there is that awful smell of smoke mingled with blood
Finally a young girl sees me
She's covered with blood and holds a rifle
Her eyes are lifeless and cold as she points it at me and pulls the trigger
Her laughter chills me to my very bones as I jolt awake
From the dream….that sad dream… of no tomorrow
Some people call it cowardice,
Some people say it’s fear,
Some people scold and mock me,
Some say I’ll never learn.
Despite their scoffs and mockery,
I choose to make my path.
For they will never know,
What lies behind that door
They say I ought to take chances,
They yell what’s there to lose,
They claim it can’t be that bad,
But what do they really know.
They swear I ought to trust them
They say they’ve made that leap
But scarless are their bodies
Revealing their fibs and lies
So no I will not open it
No I won’t be forced
Until I know I’m ready
Until I can be sure
Until my heart is strengthened
I’ll simply stare and wonder
What lies behind that door
You know that feeling you get when you think you want something
That consuming feeling that wraps your thoughts and emotions in one neat bow
Makes you believe you can’t live without having that one thing
That all you need to be happy is to get it
Just that
Simple really
You wouldn’t ask for anything more
You whine and pine over it for days even
Finally you get that thing you wanted
And realize with a sinking feeling
You never wanted it at all
Connections are vital in this our present country. One can even go as far as to say, they are everything though that would be pushing it a bit far to be blunt. It is crucial to network and make a lot of connections in your daily walk. You meet several people in a day. Some you would walk by on the street, others in a hospital, the church, school and most especially many you would meet after school.
You can be so meshed up in your own world and be so absorbed in self that you miss out on the opportunity to network and be linked to so many people you interact with on a daily basis after school especially during your national service. Some people you feel quick to dismiss can actually become so invaluable to you that you wonder how on earth you considered dismissing them in the first place.
Regardless of how “outside your comfort zone” it may be for you, it is important to make time to connect with the people you find yourself surrounded with during your service and even in your daily affairs. I bet you are wondering how on earth you are going to meet the ambassador or the president or even the minister while you’re offering your service. But you don’t really have to connect with already established and accomplished people.
The true connections you need are the raw talents, the nurturing ones who still have the capacity to shake Ghana right down to the core and bring out her hidden potential. You know that service person who seems to know it all and annoys you whenever he opens his mouth?
Someone please make him shut up!!!!
Yeah bet that person just flashed across your mind for a split second. Well do you know his “knowing too much” however annoying; is a valuable tool? Believe it or not, you may be lacking in several areas he is extremely gifted in and by being close minded and unappreciative of his qualities, you risk losing that opportunity to get to know him better and improve yourself. That is the power of connections, it helps you achieve what would seem impossible in a shorter amount of time.
“Shoot me now and put me out of my misery”
What about that chatty lady who sits from across your desk and just can’t seem to stop her noisy chatter day in and day out? Yeah the one who gets you rolling your eyes and saying shoot me now and put me out of my misery. Believe it or not, you could learn a thing or two about communication skills from her, when to say something and when not to. You could also learn restraint and improve your social skills by connecting with her. For all you know, by getting closer to her, you could gently nudge her in the right direction and teach her restraint as well without the whole barrier of condemnation and being judgmental.
Catching on to the ropes yet? It’s all about perception and making the most out of what life hands you. Connecting honestly with people you meet today can prove to be a great source of help tomorrow. And don’t even think of being superficial or connecting with people simply because of what they can offer you because trust me…they can always tell. And no one wants to connect with a selfish self-centred user. Don’t be one.
Yeah believe it or not, you find that almost every senior course mate refers to the national service as hold on…national slavery. You go like, come on where is the patriotism? I mean you would think they would be grateful they weren’t being enrolled into the military like some countries do and are simply serving their nations in companies, schools, financial institutions, factories, projects and what not. But they simply smile at you and nod as though empathizing with you for still believing in such naiveté. It’s like you are missing a part of the picture and well…they apparently have that piece.
Annoying I know, trust me I’ve been there but what can you do? They do hold a piece to that puzzle. But don’t worry, I’m more than willing to share. You see as over rated as the term national slavery may seem to you, it does hold a certain element of truth to it. You find that national service persons are overworked, under paid and subjected to the most rigorous torture…sorry I mean training (couldn’t help that one) you would imagine. Your patience is tried and tested one too many times, you find yourself in conflict with people who don’t like you for no reason at all, you find yourself overwhelmed with mundane tasks that you would normally deem underneath you and impossible to believe. Heck you might be asked to do stuff from people way down the food chain so to say and yet you would find that you have to swallow your pride and still do it nonetheless. Somewhere along the line, those chores you found annoying become familiar. You get to know those people you thought you would never like and somehow, you settle into this comfortable working relationship with them. You get to respect people more, understand them, your pride is broken into smithereens and you build your character through humility.
You finally understand the other side to the national slavery agenda, you can choose to either become a slave to good character traits which build you into a person groomed to take on bigger challenges or bad character traits where you destroy the little integrity you have and become a person every one chooses to stay away from in the work place.
Stay away from me, if you know what’s good for you
You know that one person with a permanent frown etched onto their face, yeah you know that one, probably walks around with a dark gloomy cloud that says “stay away from me if you want to retain your happiness” and who leaves you feeling drained of energy and life itself. The one who has nothing but complains about everything and everyone whenever you see him/her and who everyone runs in the opposite direction whenever they see them. You may even duck under your table to avoid that person, well I would know; I’ve ducked before.
The point is, true life sometimes sucks and true you don’t always get surrounded by good people or handed good jobs you would like, but if you allow that to cloud your judgement and hide all the other wonderful things you could learn; needless to say you would miss out on a great opportunity to connect with people and learn new things.
OK believe it or not, you are running late for your first day of work and that is like so not cool. You do not want to be labelled the late comer on your first week. I mean this is the week where you get to exhibit how really together you are and how hardworking you are. Who turns up late for their first day anyway? It’s so totally like saying you definitely want to be discarded…like a used Kleenex.
So anyway you finally arrive and you walk into this company, your first day and you’re feeling all executive and business like. I mean it is after all your first real go at the whole doing a job thing. You’re really excited and then you’re not and you’re like in this cross between feeling all giddy and feeling like you want to duck under a bed and hide from the anxiety of it all. But well, you get your act together and walk up with the human relations manager to your assigned directorate.
A bunch of people from the other directorates don’t really want you and the bunch of service people you’re with and it kind of sucks because they can be so in your face and matter of fact about it. But hey, who are you to judge? It’s their choice and they really don’t want you, there’s really nothing you can do about it. Of course if you were to be some high ranking official’s son or daughter…maybe then you could have used that a little to your advantage but then again since you’re not…you kind of have to zip it and take it all in good faith.
You finally get to the office and you see all these people staring at you and your heart just feels like its frozen solid with fear. You look through the faces and see someone familiar. Thank goodness, at least you’re with a former course mate from school…what a relief! So you get to talking, to break the ice and settle into this comfortable conversation. The room is freezing cold and you swear you would break if you attempted to move an inch from where you are sitting. Doesn’t anyone believe in moderation anymore? You stare around and see your fellow national service colleagues shivering from the cold. But of course, no one can really be the one to say “excuse me everyone but could you like turn the frigging air condition off? We are totally dying here” So everyone just smiles and goes ahead to shiver for the rest of the morning.
The big boss arrives and greets everyone. He seems nice enough and lets the staff introduce themselves. Pleasantries are arranged and you’re informed he is willing to do all he can to make your stay comfortable and he urges you to do all duties with a full heart regardless of how you feel it will be beneath you. So you shrug and say oh that is workable, I mean how bad can it be? It’s not like you would be scrubbing the washrooms or anything like that right? This should be a walk in the park, nothing to worry about. Aww…it’s adorable how you still believe that. Have you learned nothing yet? Nothing really is as it seems you know, especially not in Ghana.
Ok so everyone’s settling into the whole about to serve your nation mode where you feel all important and set aside for the greater good. I mean it is quite an accomplishment for any company to have you; after all you did complete one of the best universities in Ghana with a frigging degree and come on not everyone could accomplish that. They should be worshipping at your feet right? Well once again, life is about to burst your bubble and give you that really rude awakening from your self-imposed dream and shelter from reality.
You have to join these really long ridiculous queues just to register at the company you’re to work at. Then you literally have to rush and make sure you let the company know you’re supposed to work there. You may be wondering why on earth you have to bother to do something like that. Well I’ve got your answer right here. Believe it or not, your position, the one you literally toiled for and prayed and fasted and hoped till you lost weight…yeah that position well it really isn’t solely yours; wait for it…it’s actually up for grabs. You remember those friends of yours…the ones who actually have the connections and who know people who know people who actually know them? Yeah those ones can have that position if you do not claim it in time.
So here you are, a graduate running like your life depended on it to claim your slot regardless of whether the company is crappy or not…heck you don’t even have a choice. You get to have a good set of laughs when you see some of the places your friends got. The shabbiness of the buildings are enough to make you reel back and barf…literally. Ok so you’ve got this awful feeling in your stomach where you keep praying that your company doesn’t turn out to be half as bad as theirs in terms of appearance…shallow right? But a person’s got to dream.
So you get to your company and you smile…you grin from ear to ear and heave a sigh of relief as your friends tell you how fortunate you are. Well the company looks really good. You go in and make the claim and you are informed the company has limited amount of spaces for national service personnel. Yeah I know, hard to believe it right? But hey it’s their company. So you go through this whole trauma where you keep praying and hoping you’re not thrown to the curb and the day for checking keeps being postponed over and over again. But you don’t give up and keep checking till eventually you make it in. you heave another sigh of relief…finally it’s over. Sorry to mess this up for you again sweetie…but it’s really not.
Nanadokua 